None of us sleep a wink that night, even after Thad finishes doing all he can for his patient. I stay cuddled up with Hunter until around 4 A.M. when the boy finally starts to stir.
Hunter rushes to his side while Thad watch from across the room. He blinks a few times, revealing wide, golden brown eyes.
Hunter takes his hand, "Hey," he whispers comfortingly, "Are you alright."
The boy's eyes drift over to Hunter, "You probably know better than I do right now," he replies weakly, "Where am I?"
"My apartment," Hunter answers, "I found you nearly bleeding to death after a gang fight. I guess you looked too young to die to me. What's your name?"
"Jeff," he mutters quietly, "Who are you?"
"I'm Hunter. Are you in a lot of pain?"
Jeff nods, "Yeah, to be honest. More than a lot."
Hunter stands up, "I'll get you something for that."
Jeff grimaces, "Don't bother unless you have stuff they don't sell in the pharmacy."
Hunter smirks, "You're in luck, I deal all kinds of stuff. What's your fix?"
"Smack, but I don't have more than twenty bucks in my pocket."
"I'll let this one slide, only because I know how much a bitch withdrawals can be." Hunter mutters, walking into the other room.
Me and Thad exchange worried looks. I don't like the idea of my boyfriend dealing hard drugs, and Thad doesn't look crazy about the idea, either.
Jeff looks over at us and I give him an awkward smile, "Hey."
"Hi." He mutters in an odd tone and then glances over at Thad.
Thad smiles, "Hey, how are you doing?"
He forces a smile, "Great. Clearly..."
Thad roles his eyes, "You don't need to be so sarcastic, you know. I'd be a little nicer to the guy who saved my life, if I was you."
Jeff looks surprised, "Oh! I'm sorry. I..didn't know."
Thad smiles, petting Jeff's back, "It's alright, I'm just teasing you."
I glance over to see Hunter walk into the room, a plastic bag in his hand. He kneels down beside Jeff, taking his arm, "You generally use needles right?"
Jeff nods, "Yeah."
Hunter ties his forearm tightly and injects the drug into his arm. Thad sighs, looking at me as though he's waiting for me to say something. I don't, though, just let my eyes drop to the floor, unsure how to feel.
Jeff sits up a little after a moment, "Thank you so much."
Hunter smirks, "Don't mention it, kid." He walks over to me, resting his hands on my shoulders, "How's it going?" He asks, lowering his voice.
I force a smile, "Fine. We can talk later."
"So not fine, then?"
I shrug, "Fine enough. Don't worry about it."
He frowns, his hands beginning to run down my back, "I can't help it, babe. I know something's bugging you."
Jeff smirks from across the room, "I didn't know he was your boyfriend," he says to Hunter, "You guys are super cute."
Hunter glances over his shoulder at Jeff, "Thanks." then turns back to me, "Come on, Bas. Don't act all upset and then not tell me what's wrong."
I peck him on the cheek, and then take a seat on the recliner, "We'll talk later, Hunt."
He sighs, rolling his eyes in frustration, "Whatever." He sits down at the foot of the couch, petting Jeff's leg, "Feel any better yet?"
Jeff nods, "Yeah, I think I'm gonna be alright. I really can't thank you enough." He glances around the room, "All of you."
Hunter smirks, "What are friends for?"
Jeff's face lights up, "We're friends?"
"Don't get too excited."
"Hey, Thad?" I mutter, looking over at him. Thad walks over to me, leaning in, "What's up, dude?"
"You wanna head home?" I ask, almost whispering.
He nods, "Yeah. Sure."
I walk over to Hunter, kissing him on the head, "We're gonna head out now, okay?"
He pulls me onto his lap, "How come?"
"I'm tired, not feeling so hot. Is that okay?"
He shrugs halfheartedly, "Yeah sure."
Before I can stand up, he grabs my head and pulls me into a intense his kiss. His hands are suddenly all over me, his tongue forcing it's way into my mouth. I let myself give in for a moment, enjoying every ounce of his passion. He suddenly releases me, sending a cold shiver throughout my body. He smiles, "I'll see you soon, right?"
I nod, breathless as I get back to my feet, "Yeah, absolutely."
Thad and I walk home together, both of us quiet at first before he finally breaks the silence, "What are you thinking about?"
I sigh, shaking my head, "Truth be told, I'm just worrying, mostly. I don't like the idea of Hunter doing what he does, I guess. And I know there's nothing I can do about it, so I might as well just get over it. It's just...hard."
He nods understandingly, petting me on the back, "Hunter's clearly a tough guy, I'm sure he can take care of himself."
I shake my head, "You saw what shape that Jeff kid was in. He would be dead right now if it weren't for you."
"True," Thad explains, "But Jeff and Hunter are clearly different. Jeff's just so...innocent looking, I guess. There's no way in hell that he knows what he's doing the way Hunter does. Jeff was probably some kinda runt in his gang, you know? Hunter's probably not too far from the top..."
"Yeah..." I reply, doing my best to really believe what he's saying.
We get to the apartment and walk inside. I lie down on the couch, crossing my legs. Thad takes off his jacket, pacing back and forth, seeming even more uneasy than me.
"You alright?" I ask, noticing the troubled look on his face.
"I don't know." he answers bleakly, "I'm worried about Jeff, to be honest. I don't think your man is gonna take very good care of him, and he clearly doesn't know how to take care of himself. I just feel like, what if we saved his life just for him to overdose and kill himself?"
I reach out and take his hand, "It'll be alright, dude. I'll check in on him whenever go to see Hunter. And he's more helpful than you probably think he is. Just because he gave Jeff drugs doesn't mean-"
"He nearly let him bleed to death," Thad interrupts, "Maybe we should have Jeff stay here for now."
I sigh, "Maybe. I'll talk to him, alright? Try to relax."
"I'm gonna take a shower." he mutters, walking out of the room.
I nod, curling up on the couch and try to fall asleep.
